See also: arsenic toxicity
What is Arsenic
Arsenic is a very widespread element in nature; we find it in the soil, in rocks, in water, in the air and in almost all animal and vegetable tissues. It is therefore not surprising that every day man introduces a very small share of arsenic through the ingestion of various drinks and foods. In some studies, this element with its well-known poisonous power has proved essential for some laboratory animals, while its biological role in the human organism is still uncertain.
The main industrial applications of arsenic have concerned the pharmaceutical sector and that of agro-chemical products, such as insecticides, herbicides and fungicides.
Arsenic in Food
Today, the use of arsenic has been considerably reduced due to the possibility that it can somehow accumulate in the food chain and cause intoxication; for the same reason, the international health authorities have imposed limits on the maximum arsenic residue present in food. Among these, the most at risk are molluscs, crustaceans and marine algae. In general, however, these are quantities well below the toxicity threshold; however, the problem may cause some concern especially in developing countries, both for the lower controls on food and groundwater, and for the less restrictive measures on industrial pollution (in the past several cases of poisoning among agricultural workers have been reported , foundries and coal processing plants).
Damage to Health
Arsenic is mostly considered a carcinogen and the correlation between chronic exposure and lung and skin cancer is well documented; once ingested it accumulates in the keratin of hair and hair, the examination of which can be a valuable diagnostic clue.
Acute arsenic poisoning for suicidal and criminal purposes, or by accidental ingestion, initially causes digestive symptoms (abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea ...), followed by severe liver and kidney disorders, cardiovascular collapse and coma; in the absence of treatment medical death can occur in 12-48 hours.
